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Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Alice's Tea Cup

Yesterday I went for afternoon tea at Alice's Tea Cup on the upper west side at 102 West 73rd street. It's the perfect place to take out-of-town guests for a lovely surprise. The front shop of the tea salon is filled with a vast array of teas. And tempting cakes to get you salivating.And of course all things 'Alice'. You say you have nothing to wear to Alice's Tea cup? You can pick up a gown in the front shop...

Plus a pair of pink wings...

And the ever-so-essential TIARA bien sur!

No reservations accepted unless you're a party of 6+, so bring lots of children along. Your eyes will pop when you see 'The Mad Hatter' tea trays being served...

The authors, Haley and Lauren Fox have THREE tea salons in New York. No wonder they needed a cookbook - very clever indeed.

And those delectably stacked tea trays - you can do them at home!

Or plan a kid's tea party just as if it was at Alice's.

Do you think they should rename New York City 'The Big Cupcake'? We were drooling over the goodies in the cookbook.

Frances and I settled sanely on scones + pot o' tea ($10). Granted the scones were insanely huge and you got a choice of two. I had Mixed Berry + Pumpkin Spice and Frances had Caramel Banana + Mixed Berry + gobs of jam and butter.

My tea was a wonderous mix of apricot + ginger + orange. Our neighbor (British) asked politely if she might look closer at BEAR. As an owner of 4 bears at home, she was smitten. She popped BEAR into her purse to see if he'd fit...ahem. She is returning to London shortly and BEAR mentioned he lurved London.

Some bears have a lot of nerve.The idea of going home with the first person who asks even i fthey do live in London...

36 comments:

Yes dear Julie, it's very tiny indeed. Otherwise how could the Mad Hatter have his tea party there?All three shops are quite small set in old New York apartment buildings. It only adds to the charm...Carolg

I adore this place! I went with a few friends to celebrate the winter solstice over hot tea the past two years and for pre-Valentine's Day – any excuse to eat, drink and be merry. The chocolate chai tea was divine! Great vegetarian options too.

There use to be a small tea shop in Depot Town, the original main street of Ypsilanti, Michigan, where they would serve tea and scones. My sister, wife and I went there often. Half of the shop was set up to sell art, and I use to sell my framed digital collages there. Unfortunately, the shop had to close when the economy first started going sour in Michigan. I sure miss that place!

Last year when my mother, sisters and I last visited New York, we went to Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper East Side.We had scones too and they were lovely! What I loved was that although the crockery was beautiful, it wasn't matching, so you would never know what you were going to drink from. Such a refreshing change from the usual cafes.Definitely one of our favourite refreshment stops in the City and we will definitely be calling in there again when we next visit!

I so love this post and the photos are a treat. And I'm intrigued by the gadget on the yellow teapot/the photo with the striped bear. Have never seen anything like it, supposedly keeping the lid from popping off? Guess you really DO learn something new everyday, eh?

At last a place that sells pink wings!!But seriously, CG, this is a very fun post! I think that you had better keep an eye on Bear, though - sounds like he almost got pinched!Good to see that you are out and about!

They sell that little gadget in the front shop - either a bird or a cat - awfully adorable it's true Melissa.BEAR is French.What can one do... they are well known for their wandering eyes - as long as that's all that wanders!

What I definitely want to say is that it was delightful to finally meet Carol and to have the first of many conversations I know we are going to have. Bear is truly a bon vivant and puts anyone in his orbit instantly under his continental spell.

Alice's is lots of fun, particularly if you are able to enjoy relaxing into a lovely pace. Carol and I think that those scones really were freshly baked. Much more delish that way.

The listing of available teas is enormous. How could one possibly every try them all, yet the waitresses seemed able to describe any of them without missing a beat.

Next time, I am going to have to get a slice of one of those cakes!Or even two.

TEA-lightful! Doesn't it just make the tea and scones taste better with such a cozy whimsical environment. And YES!, those scones look deliciously HUGE...thankyou for sharing it with us tho'...as to the Frenchie styled scarf...how do they do that? Have a great week...when are you off on your trip?

Great photos - I was there with friends on Sunday - just missed you! We did the Mad Hatter's Tea with an assortment of scones. The hands down favorite was the raspberry white chocolate scone. Wondering if you tried the tart au citron for dessert and what your thoughts were if you did?

Paris Letters

♥carol gillott♥

l'Ile Saint Louis, Paris, Ile de France, France

Hi I'm Carol Gillott,
My Mom taught me watercolors at 5. I'm still at it, now tripping over cobblestones, living in a 6th-floor garret on l'Ile Saint-Louis, Paris. Read Parisbreakfast with a hot chocolate and croissant.
I paint Paris breakfasts.